Bury Your Heart
by Marauder1019
Summary: After all the events they've experienced together during the Fourth Great Ninja War; Naruto returns to Konoha… But Sakura can't understand why she has barely seen him since he returned. After lots of thought, she seeks Naruto out, only to find that he's nowhere to be found. POST 4TH GREAT NINJA WAR. PLEASE REVIEW CONSTRUCTIVELY. *Delayed* Chapter 4 Coming Soon. See Profile updates.
1. There's Blood On the Tracks Again

**PROLOGUE: There's Blood On the Tracks Again**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Studio Perriot & TV Tokyo. I do not own any of the characters presented in this story, although I do take responsibility for this story's development. Please support the official releases of Naruto manga, Naruto and Naruto Shippuden.**

_THERE IS NO DIALOGUE IN THIS SECTION_

As he walked towards his home of Konohagakure, the village he had left behind almost three years ago, he saw a small crowd of people waiting for him at the gates. All his friends had come to greet him upon his return... save one pink haired kunoichi.

His shoulders sunk, he had left to find inner peace, but even returning home reminded him why he left in the first place. She was the reason he could not find peace. His friends all ran up to him, welcoming him back home.

Ino couldn't help but call out joyfully, Lee and Choji practically crushed every bone in his body with the hugs they gave him resepectively, TenTen kindly said hello, but turned away, still heartbroken about what had happened to the missing member of her team. Shikamaru just stood there, muttering to himself about how troublesome things would be now that Naruto was back in the village. Kakashi curtly nodded to the young man, looking up from Jiraiya's final story, "Make Out Tactics", and Guy welcomed him claiming he knew that his burning passion and youthfulness would bring him back safely. The Fifth Hokage was also there to greet him and to welcome him back to the village with open arms.

Despite the Hokage's warm welcome, Naruto couldn't help but notice the hateful glares from plenty of the villagers. Some of the kinder villagers just nodded politely and minded their own business, others threw stones, and hateful words. Not because of his return, but for the event that caused him to seek inner peace, away from the village for around a year. The events that scarred the normally confident and energetic shinobi. Even today, the villagers scold him, and hate him, for fighting to protect their lives.

**_. . ._**

**YES! FOLLOWERS OF "Bury Your Heart", The Story is now live once again, and it SHOULD be complying with the guidelines of FanFiction. I apologize to the readers for such an inconvenience, but mistakes have to be made in order to progress further. Yes this was insanely short, but It was part of my revised first page that, I believe, was the reason the original story was taken offline. Please take the time to read the story start to current update once again, and thank you to all the original supporters who are still sticking with me on this venture! For those of you who have not read this story before, please note that this story will be a little wordy, so please bear with my descriptiveness. Also, This story was written to the best of my grammatical ability. As a testament to those writers who use exceptional grammar in their fictional writings. I hope to inspire others to work their hardest to do the same!**

**ALSO: This story will be an OVERALL NaruSaku story. If you are a SasuSaku or NaruHina fan (only writing hetero pairings here… sorry to those fans who aren't supportive of that), please don't rage or leave. The story will have a good explanation for why the ending pairing is the way it is.**

**Till next time,**

**- Marauder1019**

******This story was inspired by the Flyleaf Song: "Bury Your Heart". IT IS NOT A SONG FIC.**


	2. Do You Buy What You're Selling Them?

**Do You Buy What You're Selling Them?**

**Disclaimer: PFFT... I wish.**

'Thought'

**'****_Inner persona thoughts'_**

'**Demonic Thoughts'**

She stood outside her new apartment overlooking the streets of Konoha. There wasn't a cloud in the sky on this gorgeous summer day. The wind blew past and she took a deep breath and relaxed on the railing. The village atmosphere had finally returned to it's familiar trouble-free attitude. The village had been rebuilt completely, the war with Madara and the Akatsuki was over, and, more importantly to her, Naruto had come home once more.

Naruto had come home. That's what worried the pink haired medic nin. She hadn't seen him since he'd returned, she'd only heard from friends like Ino and Lee that he had finally come home.

'He couldn't be avoiding me,' she convinced herself, 'I haven't done anything to cause him to not want to be around me'.

**_'Maybe that's It!' _**Inner Sakura proclaimed, irritated as always, **_'Maybe he's not avoiding you, but spending time with someone else!?'_**.

Sakura scoffed at the idea put to her by her inner self.

'I don't think he'd just up and ditch his best friend' Sakura replied coldly, 'He's bound to come by sooner or later'.

**_'Well… WHAT IF HE'S FOUND SOMEONE ELSE TO BE HIS BEST FRIEND?' _**Inner Sakura screamed, **_'WHAT IF HE'S SPENDING TIME WITH HINATA?'_**.

'I shouldn't care if he is spending time with her…' Sakura sighed, 'He deserves to be happy, and maybe Hinata can help him'.

**_'You know he only has eyes for you, dummy' _**Inner Sakura retorted**_ 'And you know as well as I do that if Hinata has her way, she'll have him in bed screwing her until the end of time!'. _**

'Maybe that's what he wants, did you ever think about that?' Sakura couldn't help but picture the awfully shy Hyūga heiress attempting to seduce the knucklehead of the Hidden Leaf. She shuddered at the possibility of it actually working out between them, but giggled at the alternative, failed attempt with her fainting and Naruto being clueless on how to react.

**_'It's what YOU want, that's what I'm saying!' _**Inner Sakura shouted, regaining Sakura's attention, **_'You've had a thing for Naruto since that day in the Iron Country! Don't tell me you forgot that he saved you from that bastard Sasuke'._**

'I'll never forget that day…' Sakura couldn't help but sigh deeper than before, 'I know he's had a thing for me since at least the academy, but I don't know if it's the same thing that I had going for Sasuke back then'.

**_'Look Sakura, I know when you're full of it and you do too.' _**Inner Sakura said, calmer than usual, **_'This might sound selfish, coming from us, it really is, but we both know you don't want to lose Naruto like we lost Sasuke... And you're the only one who can do anything about that'. _**

Sakura re-adjusted her position, now standing upright, and turned towards the front door.

'I won't let it come to that...' She reassured herself. 'I won't let Naruto get himself killed'. She turned, adjusted her headband, gave herself a good look-over in the mirror, and rushed out the door, heading in search of the blonde knucklehead, seeking some much needed talk time.

Inner Sakura smirked contently to herself.

**_'She's finally realizing who she is...' _** She whispered to herself, quietly enough that Sakura couldn't hear her. **_'Who knows how much longer she'll need me once Naruto is in the picture... Permanently'. _**

Inner Sakura faded away into the recesses of Sakura's mind, and she began walking the streets of Konoha, looking for her blonde knucklehead.

"What if she was right?" she muttered to herself, reflecting on the debate with her inner self, "What if being with Hinata IS what Naruto really wants?… No, that can't be entirely true. He's been asking me out since we were ten, that has to count for something… right?… GAH! I don't know what to-".

Sakura's train of thought was de-railed when an annoyingly high pitched voice called out to her.

"HEY FOREHEAD!, DID YOU NOT HEAR ME CALLING YOU TEN SECONDS AGO?" another very obnoxious blonde shouted.

"Oh, just perfect" Sakura sighed. "What do you want, Ino-Pig?".

"You look famished, girl. Let's go get some dinner." Ino replied cheerfully.

"Dinner? It's only noon isn't it?" Sakura looked utterly dumbfounded. She looked over her shoulder to see the orange light of the setting sun, not believing that it was really that late in the day. 'I couldn't have been arguing with myself for that long, could I?'.

"Well, it's almost sundown, and I'm buying." Ino chimed in. "So are you in? It'll be just the two of us."

"I suppose so, Ino." Sakura responded. "Just promise not to PIG OUT, alright?"

"HA. HA. HA. Very funny Sakura, lets go." Ino responded sarcastically.

Sakura started to follow the blonde Kunoichi to the Yakiniku Q restaurant.

'This could make things so much easier!' Sakura thought joyfully, 'Ino is the village gossip, so she'll know where everyone is and what they're doing on a regular basis! PERFECT! Now I can find Naruto!'

"Hey Ino, I have to know something…" Sakura began, trailing off, getting nervous of what Ino would think about her question.

"YOU NEED TO KNOW SOMETHING?!" Ino exclaimed.

"Sometimes I wish you'd be less dramatic, Pig" Sakura replied dully.

"Just pulling your leg, Sakura" Ino smirked, trying to recover from the embarrassment of her overreaction. "What do you need to know about?"

After a slight pause, Sakura found the courage to ask her question

"I need to know where Naruto is."

**_. . ._**

**Although this is post 4th Shinobi War, and the immanent fight involving Sasuke has not yet occurred (Current Chapter Is 616), in this story, The fight has supposedly happened. Also, although I'm not violently against NaruHina (well, okay maybe a little), it doesn't make sense to me, as Hinata and Naruto do not really compliment each other at all. People need to remember that the original anime of NARUTO had an entire 2 full seasons (in the english dub) of pure FILLER. It should also be noted that the production staff, at the time at least, were very Pro NaruHina. That is not the case here. I'll Try to update soon… but I've been pretty busy lately, so soon could be next week, or next month. I really have no idea that this point. Rest assured, IT WILL BE UPDATED.**


	3. Under Platinum Headstones

**Under Platinum Headstones**

**Disclaimer: Don't even kid yourself; I don't own Naruto**

'Thought'

**'****_Inner persona thoughts'_**

'**Demonic Thoughts'**

Even though he was standing in the shade, to Naruto Uzumaki, the day had seemed so much darker than it actually was. He couldn't shake the horrifying memories of the brutality of war, the friends he has lost and how quickly it had all come to pass. His friends had lost parents, siblings, but what troubled him the most was that he couldn't help them. He had felt the same pain they had all been feeling, but he just couldn't help. He didn't really know how to deal with the pain of losing a parent. Even though he had met both of them on separate occasions, they had been dead for almost twenty years. His friends had lost their relatives and loved ones within the past few months.

'How the hell can I ever become Hokage if I can't support the people closest to me?' Naruto pondered. As the wind blew past the blonde's face, a small pink petal from a cherry blossom landed on his hand. He clenched his hands, forming a fist fist. 'How can I ever be expected to be worthy of Sakura if I'm not able to help the others either?' He screamed at himself as he slammed his fist onto the metal railing on his balcony.

'**Kid, you're just going to keep causing yourself pain if you keep that up… not to mention you'll be breaking things you can't replace'** the Nine Tails calmly stated, The railing split where his fist landed, cutting his hand.

'I'm aware of that, Kurama, but the railing can be replaced. I'll even help them make a new one'. Naruto cooly replied.

**'Kid, you know damn well what i'm talking about…'** Kurama bitterly replied, **'and it sure as hell isn't about some stupid railing outside your house'**.

Naruto cursed under his breath. He knew that Kurama was talking about Sakura. He still loved Sakura, but he couldn't talk to her right now... Not after what happened with Sasuke at the end of the war. That incident had left him both physically and emotionally scarred. She had been there when it had happened, and regardless of how much he loved her, he couldn't forget the sheer look of horror on her face after the first clash. It still gave him nightmares.

'Even Kurama can't make me forget that one...' He sobbed to himself, tears falling to the empty street below. 'Even if he can't help with my memories, why did he have to make me into such a realist?'.

**'Kid, you are the way you are because of you. I had nothing to do with how you turned out'** Kurama mumbled quietly under his breath.

'I heard that, Furball!' Naruto internally shouted, seeming visibly angry to Kurama. 'IF YOU HADN'T BEEN SEALED INSIDE OF ME, I MIGHT HAVE GROWN UP LIKE MOST KIDS DID, BUT I DIDN'T AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!'. Naruto shouted angrily. After a short pause, Kurama spoke up

**'...Are you done screaming at me for things that can't be changed?'** he responded coldly. **'Both Minato and Kushina explained to you what happened, and why they sealed me inside of you. Believe me, I didn't enjoy being locked up inside you… in fact, I still don't like it. So shut up about it, and worry about the things that are important right now!'**.

'What's so important right now exactly?' asked Naruto sarcastically.

**'Well, for starters, the fact that you haven't spoken to your girlfriend since you came back to the village, AND that plenty of the villagers hate you again!'**

'SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!' Naruto shouted with a big blush on his face, but Kurama had a point.

He hadn't seen Sakura since he returned, and even though he had done so much for the good of Konoha during the war, upon his return, the village returned to scorning the battle scarred shinobi. Blaming all manner of problems purely on his existence. His mask had been shattered on the battlefield, and everyone now truly knew that his big grins were all forced. He had proven that even his determined personality could falter in the face of adversity. He had proven that, even with Kurama, the Nine Tailed Demon Fox sealed inside of him, he was human. Kurama just chuckled and appeared to go to sleep in his Tori gated seal. Naruto returned to consciousness, and realized that it was now the evening.

'Man, I've been arguing with Kurama for this long?' he thought, shocked that so much time had passed while he had been speaking with the tailed beast…

"Well…" Naruto sighed, "I might as well get to my night job".

As he said it, he turned and entered his battered apartment, changed into a black jumpsuit, and grabbed a shovel. As he left his house, he turned his head and saw the picture of Team Seven from back when they were all Genin.

"I'm sorry, Sakura…" he sighed, as tears came from his eyes. He could never forgive himself for what had happened, for what he was responsible for. "...for taking Sasuke away from you".

Naruto locked his door, and began walking to his destination on the outskirts of the village.

_**. . .**_

**Where is Naruto going? That will be elaborated on later. I apologize for this chapter being so short. I'm more of a descriptive writer, rather than a dialogue specialist… so please bear with me. The next chapter will be answering some questions some of you might have, like what the hell happened that made Naruto feel so awful? ALL WILL BE REVEALED!…..EVENTUALLY!**

**I'm using the Nine Tails' name 'Kurama' from the Manga. If you haven't read up to Volume 60 of the Manga, I must warn you from this point on, there will be manga spoilers of some sort. There are reasons for why Kurama (Kyuubi to most people) is acting out of character, but like I said before, It's all explained in the manga. At this point, it's been back and forth with Naruto and Sakura, but the next few chapters will be a little more diverse.**

**This Update did come very fast (less than 24hrs from when I first posted the story), but I figured that you guys deserved something else to go on. I can't promise that the next chapter will come this week, so expect it within the next month or so (maybe a valentines day posting?). College can be demanding, as some of you know, and although I enjoy writing "Bury Your Heart", I can't neglect my studies. School is expensive, and I'd rather not waste my money whilst I'm there.**

**Thanks again for supporting "Bury Your Heart", and keep supporting the official release of NARUTO !**


	4. After A Day of Twisting the Knife

**After A Day of Twisting the Knife**

**Disclaimer: please, if I owned Naruto, this story would probably be the end of the series! (Not that it would be a good thing if it was though).**

No Reviews to Highlight: PLEASE REVIEW CONSTRUCTIVELY

**WARNING: SOME GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS ARE IN THIS CHAPTER. READER'S DISCRETION IS ADVISED.**

WARNING #2: I TRIED TO BE A LITTLE BIT HUMOROUS IN THIS CHAPTER, BUT PERSONALLY, I DON'T THINK IT WORKED OUT TOO WELL.

'Thought'

**'_Inner persona thoughts'_**

'Demonic Thoughts**'**

_One Year Earlier_

It had been a few days since word had gotten to Konoha that the Ten Tails, Madara and Obito Uchiha had been defeated by the Allied Shibobi Alliance, so the village of Konoha and it's guards were not as anxious, or alert, as they had been for the past few months. They were so relaxed and inattentive, that they overlooked four travelers entering the village earlier that day… four travelers that were associated with the Akatsuki at one time or another. They were Suigetsu Hōzuki, of the Hidden Mist village; Bi-Polar Jugo, the traitorous white snake Orochimaru; and the sole remaining member of the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke.

The guards that had been unlucky enough to see them upon their arrival to the village suffered the wrath of the cold blooded and heartless Uchiha. Sasuke had shown no mercy to them, and unleashed the power of his Eternal Mangekÿo Sharingan, paralyzing them with Genjutsu whilst Orochimaru dealt with them quietly.

"Geez Sasuke, I get that you wanted to get revenge on Konoha for what they did to your brother, but did you have to drag us into it?" Suigetsu lazily complained.

"You're here whether you like it or not, fish boy" Orochimaru retorted. "I have a vendetta against this pitiful village as well, and I want nothing more than to see it burn to ashes".

Sasuke stepped between the two men, glaring at both of them, striking fear into their hearts.

"Suigetsu…" Sasuke stated emotionlessly. "Shut Up. I don't want to deal with your attitude right now. You know we're here to get Karin, as well as destroy the village".

"I know that" Suigetsu said sheepishly, "But do we honestly need her Sasuke? She's SOOOOOO ANNOYING! ALL SHE EVER DOES IS BERATE ME AND…".

"This Isn't about you." Sasuke shot back, "You agreed to help me, and right now, helping me involves getting Karin out of the village. SO KNOCK IT OFF!".

Suigetsu turned away, feeling somewhat defeated. Jugo went over to him and started to discuss something; quietly enough that neither Sasuke or Orochimaru could hear. The white snake couldn't help but grin at the situation, only to have Sasuke's cold eyes looking at him, burrowing into his soul.

"As for you, Orochimaru…" Sasuke began, "I know why you're really here. You want to take over my body, like you tried, and failed, to do before. Let your previous defeat serve as a reason for you to keep your pedophiliac hands away from me, and the rest of my team here". He made sure to finish his sentence loudly enough so the others would hear him. Sure enough, they did.

Jugo and Suigetsu turned and glared at Orochimaru, with disgusted looks on their faces. Orochimaru couldn't help but shy away from the situation and keep his mouth shut.

'It seems I really can't hide anything from him anymore…' he sighed to himself.

'That's Right' Sasuke stated coldly, scaring the crap out of Orochimaru. 'I can gaze into your mind with this Genjutsu so I can know what you're thinking as well… truth be told, I wish I had never come in here… all the little boys you fantasize about. Disgraceful for someone your age.'

"GET OUT OF HERE, UCHIHA!" Orochimaru screamed, not realizing that he was shouting out loud. "WHO I LIKE TO BE AROUND AND WHAT I LIKE TO DO WITH THEM IS MY BUSINESS, AND NO ONE ELSE'S!".

Orochimaru stopped, realizing that he had blurted that out loud. Seeing the disgusted faces of the others who had travelled here with him, he was terrified of what Sasuke would attempt.

"Sasuke?…" Suigetsu prodded, readying the Executioner's Blade on his back.

Orochimaru's eyes shot wide open, not believing what could happen next.

"Do It".

Orochimaru felt two very large hands grasp his arms, just as Suigetsu began charging in his direction. Before he could free himself from Jugo's grasp, everything went black. Suigetsu had successfully cut Orochimaru's head clean off his body. That being said, however, he also did a number on Jugo. Jugo's body collapsed, still holding Orochimaru's decapitated corpse, lifeless.

Sasuke walked over to the corpses, and emotionlessly looked over his fallen comrade and his former teacher, lying in a pool of their own blood. Clenching his fist, he turned to look at Suigetsu, pure hatred in his expression. Suigetsu took one look at Sasuke's eyes, and decided that it might be time for him to make his escape.

"Jugo came over to me after our little 'chat' earlier," Suigetsu said quickly. "He told me he was dying from the negative effects of the Sage power Orochimaru used to make the curse mark… and that he wanted to be freed of his suffering. So he told me he'd grab Orochimaru and I was to kill both of them."

Sasuke wasn't pleased. He had assumed something was off with Jugo since he wasn't talking at all on the way to Konoha. He couldn't care less about Orochimaru, but one thing still bothered him about this situation.

"What will you do now that they're both gone?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, I intend to help you free Karin, but once we have her outside of that village, I'm gonna get myself some revenge." Suigetsu responded, a dark smirk crossed his face.

"Meaning?" Sasuke prodded. He didn't like where this was going. He was fully aware that Sakura still had feelings for him, but he had no such feelings for her, and he had already decided that she would not be the one to assist in the restoration of the Uchiha. Karin, on the other hand, was… and if she died here, there would be no hope for the Uchiha clan's survival.

"I'm gonna torture her, of course" Suigetsu responded darkly. "I'll cut her legs first, and make her apologize for being so annoying. Then, I'll cut her arms for leaving my Executioner's Blade behind when we fought against the Eight Tails."

Sasuke didn't know how much longer it was going to take for him to snap, but Suigetsu kept detailing the seemingly well thought out plan for his vengeance on Karin.

"AND FINALLY," Suigetsu shouted hysterically, "I'M GONNA HURT HER SO BAD THAT SHE'LL BEG ME TO STOP CUTTING UP HER BODY AND SAY THAT SHE'LL SUBMIT TO MY WILL AND MY EVERY COMMAND!".

Sasuke had had enough. He drew his sword and charged Suigetsu, with the full intent to kill. Suigetsu noticed, and he took off down the highway they had just travelled on, in the opposite direction of the village, and Sasuke, as fast as his legs would carry him".

'I don't really care if he kills me, I just killed two of the people who pissed me off the most in the world' thought Suigetsu.

Suddenly, Sasuke appeared in front of Suigetsu, making him stop double back towards the village.

"Maybe if I surrender... willingly...to Konoha..., they'll... they'll go... easy on me…" Suigetsu panted as he ran. He had almost reached the gate when he heard Sasuke scream.

"**AMATERASU!**"

Suigetsu screamed, feeling the black flames begin to burn at his flesh. Suigetsu transformed into a liquid form, but the flames wouldn't stop burning him. Just after he collapsed on the ground, everything went black, as the black flames surrounded him.

Blood streamed down Sasuke's face as the black flames engulfed Suigetsu, destroying every cell of his being. After the black flames had stopped burning, Sasuke wiped the blood from his eyes, and after disguising himself with the transformation Jutsu, infiltrated the village.

'Judging by how loud Suigetsu screamed while he was burning to death…' Sasuke thought, 'I'd say I've got maybe five minutes until Konoha shinobi show up to investigate what happened… More than enough time to start setting the playing field'.

He couldn't help but smirk. Some of the biggest obstacles on his quest for total vengeance had been eliminated all at the same time. There was only one obstacle left in his way of achieving success… but that would soon be out of his way too. As he walked around the village, placing slips of paper underneath advertisements, posters, and signs, he heard some ninjas discussing how the 'red headed prisoner', whom Sasuke believed to be Karin, had died in her cell about a month prior to his arrival.

After hearing that his only hope for reviving his clan (the only hope he wanted, anyway) had died, Sasuke rushed out of the village, fleeing to higher ground to start planning how he was going to strike, when the time came.

"Those Konoha bastards!" Sasuke cursed. "I'll destroy them all!"

He stopped atop a cliff of higher level forest, overlooking the entire village that he had abandoned all those years ago. The village he had grown up in. The place filled with people that he now wanted to mercilessly slaughter, as Itachi had done do the Uchiha on the village's behalf almost a decade ago.

The wind had an ominous feel to it, as night fell. Sasuke stood atop that same cliffside, contemplating when he really should begin his attack on the last place in the world he truly hated. As he turned his head, he saw a large group of people following a very bright orange light headed straight for the village. Sasuke cackled menacingly.

"I'll make my move…" Sasuke said cooly, as a vile grin crossed his face. "When you and your friends have returned to see those who you hold precious to you burn… Naruto."

As soon as the last member of the returning forces of the Alliance, all of whom were Konoha shinobi, had entered the village, Sasuke shouted.

"KIRIN!"

**_. . ._**

**Yes, This is a flashback chapter, in case you didn't notice at the beginning where it said "One Year Earlier". This chapter is probably the longest one I've written thus far. The original idea around this one was for it to be a stepping stone for events to come… that have already happened… I'm sure you guys will understand what I'm getting at here. Please give me some feedback on this one. I admit that I rushed it a little bit… but just like with the first chapter, it can be edited and added to If I see fit, or if you guys think something is unclear.**

**Just so you all know, I post updates on my FanFiction Profile on this story when I have them, so keep your eyes peeled for updates at least once a week!**

**The plan with "Bury Your Heart" is to go to at least 10 chapters… but It all depends on you guys. I really appreciate the early support, and I hope you continue to stick with me on this journey.**

**Again, This update came Insanely ahead of schedule. I don't want to disappoint anybody, but It'll be at least a week until the next one gets posted. I have an Idea of how to write it, but I need to draw inspiration from the Manga, as well as some interesting ideas of my own. Please be patient with me!**

**I really appreciate the continued support for "Bury Your Heart" from all of you. Please continue supporting the story ****AND**** NARUTO!**

**- Marauder1019**


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